Centre lays ground for governor's rule in K-P

The possibility of governor's rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) came into sharper focus on Monday as several federal ministers said the Constitution provided for such measures if required, while accusing the provincial government of failing to address worsening terrorism and governance problems. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Minister Amir Muqam, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi indicated that the situation in the K-P had reached a point where drastic measures could be taken. "If such circumstances arise, or if they already exist, in which the Constitution allows governor's rule or an emergency to be imposed, then it can be done," Law Minister Tarar said during an informal conversation with journalists in Islamabad. "The Constitution contains a procedure for such measures and, when the need arose, all this will not only happen but will also be visible," he added. "Governor's rule or an emergency could be imposed in K-P if the constitutional requirements were met." Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Kashmir and G-B Affairs Minister Amir Muqam went further, saying consultations on the constitutional and legal option were under way and "anything can happen at any time". "All legal requirements for imposing governor's rule had been fulfilled in view of the law-and-order situation in the province and the actions of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's [PTI] government led by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi," he added. According to Muqam, if governor's rule was imposed, K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi would lead the new provincial setup. He described Kundi as a "refined person" and said there had been no discussion about removing the governor. "He is doing good work," Muqam said. Kundi himself, however, urged the provincial government not to push the situation to a point where governor's rule became inevitable. "K-P is facing serious governance and corruption problems," Kundi said, while talking to the media during a visit to a hospital in Peshawar. "The province's law and order situation could not afford a long march and staging a march on Islamabad was inappropriate under the circumstances," he added, referring to the PTI's planned long march in the federal capital, which was previously scheduled for Sept 27 but has now been postponed to Oct 4. Kundi described governor's rule as a "measure of necessity". If the situation worsened, the president could impose governor's rule on the prime minister's advice, he said and urged the provincial government not to push matters to the point where the federal government was forced to impose an emergency. Meanwhile, the federal government stepped up its criticism of the K-P government. At a joint press conference in Islamabad, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry accused the provincial government of facilitating terrorists for political and financial interests. "The PTI leadership in K-P is the B team of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)," Attaullah Tarar charged. "You facilitate terrorists because of your political and financial interests. The K-P government is more concerned about politics and money generated through illegal mining and contracts than the people." The information minister also accused Chief Minister Afridi of administrative and political failures, alleging that "devastation and ruin" had spread across the province and that the provincial government itself had contributed to the spread of terrorism rather than countering it. Chaudhry accused the PTI leadership of maintaining a "soft attitude" towards Afghanistan and questioned why the provincial government did not condemn attacks originating from the neighbouring country or publicly identify its alleged proxies. The minister also criticised the K-P government for not providing sufficient resources to its Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). He criticised recent changes to the K-P Police Act as well, arguing that they weakened the force's institutional authority. Amid these accusations, a government white paper presented figures on terrorism, police resources, drugs, smuggling and the provincial government's security measures, showing a sharp rise in casualties among police personnel in K-P during the first half of 2026. According to the document, 122 police personnel were martyred in K-P during the first half of 2026, compared with 63 in the same period last year, an increase of 93.7%. Injuries rose from 84 to 175, an increase of 108.3%. The document said terrorist attacks from January to September 2026 had risen to 680. The document said 3,113 personnel were serving against 3,844 sanctioned CTD posts in December 2025, leaving around 19% vacant. It said the K-P CTD had only nine M4 rifles against a requirement of 200 and 11 night-vision devices against a requirement of 35. The white paper also said the chief minister chaired the first provincial Apex Committee meeting 112 days after assuming office and questioned the implementation of its decisions after subsequent attacks in Bannu, Tank, Hangu and Kohat.